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Mouse King Returns to Mandelstam Theater in South Miami December 8 – 10

South Florida holiday tradition tells the classic Nutcracker tale from the mice point of view

November 14, 2017 – South Miami, FL – For the fifth year in a row, the children’s holiday musical Mouse King will entertain audiences at the MandelstamTheater (8530 SW 57thAve, South Miami,FL 33143). The production – book by Sesame Street veteran Noel MacNeal and music and lyrics by award-winning composer Jim Camacho – captures the imagination and spirit of the holiday season, and showcases professional actors and master puppeteers from New York City, as well as some of the area’s best young talent. Mouse King has enjoyed sell-out performances since its debut in 2013. Reserved seating for the production is available for the first time; tickets begin at $25 and can be purchased online at www.MouseKingTickets.com.

“The show has really resonated with kids and adults alike and we’re thankful for all of the support given to it over the years,” says Camacho. “It’s a labor of love getting it from the page to the stage, but it’s rewarding to share our little heartwarming Christmas tradition with new faces and loyal Mouse-Kingers.” Jim wrote and produced all of the original music in Mouse King (listen here: www.MouseKingMusic.com), and also serves as the director of the production. The puppets used in the show were designed and built by Jim Henson Company alum JamesWojtal, Jr. (Sesame Street, Bear in the Big Blue House, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver).

Mouse King follows the story of the tiny protagonist Mouserick, his trials and travels, and eventual ascension to the throne of the “Kingdom of Sweets”. Along the way, he interacts with humans, learns about the world outside beyond his walls, and fights the Nutcracker and an army of Toy Soldiers. Most importantly for all, the lesson that Chrismouse, er Christmas, is truly about giving and caring for one another, not getting presents, is driven home, a message that applies to children of all ages.

The Nutcracker, written by E. T. A. Hoffman in 1816 and adapted by AlexandreDumasPere in 1844, premiered as a ballet in 1892 at the Imperial MariinskyTheatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. Set to the music of PyotrIlyichTchaikovskyand the choreography of MariusPetipa, the holiday fairy tale was an instant success. It debuted stateside in the early 1940s and had become a staple by the mid-1950s. Mouse King’s collaboration began over a 2012 dinner by friends MacNeal and Camacho, who had already worked on “Who Put the Trick in Trick or Treat?”, a “Boo at the Zoo” Halloween production in the Bronx, NY.

The show will run Friday, December 8th, 7 p.m., Saturday, December 9th, 1 and 7 p.m., and Sunday, December 10th, 1 p.m. For more information, please visit www.JimCamacho.com or call 800.838.3006.

ABOUT JIM CAMACHO

Miami native Jim Camacho is a prolific singer-songwriter / producer who has written for platinum-selling artists, as well as writing and directing theater, musicals, and more recently, children’s musicals. His first successful theatrical work was Fools’Paradise, which was directed and choreographed by the acclaimed Jonathan Cerullo. The show ran as a full production in Miami and played to sold out workshops in New York. His musical theater collaborations include works with Drama Desk award winner Marco Ramirez on “Mickey Herman Saves the $#&@ World”, which had its debut at Miami’s Adrienne Arsht Center, and Sesame Street and Disney veteran Noel MacNeal on several “Boo at the Zoo” Bronx Zoo productions, and Mouse King, which has become a new South Florida holiday tradition, enjoying annual sell out performances each year since premiering in 2013.

Camacho co-founded and led the standout group The Goods, which was active during the 1990s, worked with legendary producer TomDowd, won the prestigious “Album of the Year” FloridaJammy award, and reached #1 on the BillboardFloridaRadio & Record charts with their single “I’m Not Average”. Their high-energy live show, outstanding musicianship and relentless touring led them to sign their second recording contract, this time with Polygram Records, and be featured in a VH1 documentary. Camacho has shared the stage with Alicia Keys, Pearl Jam, The Smithereens, Cracker, John Legend and MatthewSweet, among others.

In 2017, Camacho launched a web series called “Adventures in Songwriting”, which features fellow songwriters in a laid-back interview setting and pairs the host and the guest in a challenge to write a song in 30 minutes. The new creative output is performed at the end of the segment, and all of the tracks from the five episodes taped and webcast so far are being mixed for an EP release due in early ’18. Camacho is also working on a full-length solo project, his first full-length since the critically-lauded Beachfront Defeat, as well as collaborating with brother John on a new as of yet untitled EP.

Mouse King Returns to Mandelstam Theater for a Fifth Holiday Season December 8 – 10, 2017

What: Mouse King, a family-friendly South Florida holiday tradition written by MacNeal and Camacho. The children’s musical theater production revisits the story of The Nutcracker as told from the mice point of view. This year features technical enhancements to lighting, sound and backdrops. Mouse King debuted in 2013 and has enjoyed four consecutive years of sell-out performances.

Mouse King Returns for a Four-Day Run at The Mandelstam Theater in South Miami December 10-13, 2015

What: Mouse King, a delightfully entertaining, family-friendly musical conceived by MacNeal and featuring original music written by Camacho, retells the story of the seasonal favorite The Nutcracker from the mice point of view. The children’s musical debuted in 2013 with two sold-out shows, prompting the crew to add two more shows last year. This year’s production, featuring MacNeal’s team of professional puppeteers from New York City, and a collection of unforgettable songs, promises to bring the mouse magic back to the hearts of the young and old, just in time for the holidays.